


New worlds

by RussianWitch



Category: The Chronicles of Riddick Series
Genre: Domestic, Family Feels, Future Fic, Grumpy Old Men, Multi, Pack Family, this is almost weirder than usual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-20
Updated: 2015-05-20
Packaged: 2018-03-31 11:53:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3977068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RussianWitch/pseuds/RussianWitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Old people are very capable of acting like young children.<br/>An escape and ruminations on the past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New worlds

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta'd  
> I blame my grandpa turning 85 at the end of the week.

"Richard! Richard! Have you let your grandfather escape again? You know he's too old for whatever he's gotten into his fool head to do!" Vaako closes his eyes resisting the urge to reprimand his daughter for yelling. He's watched her raise her own young for years now, had seen her take over the leadership of the pack after they had stepped down, and still in his mind she's the squealing infant that was presented to them more than 40 years previously.

He deliberately doesn't think about his mate's escape refusing to get in the middle of the familiar fight, still he can't help worry. In the last years Riddick's eyesight had been declining steadily, the one powerful hunter getting shackled down by his own body's betrayal. Not that Vaako is doing any better, the countless Purifications in his youth had taken their toll his nerves and muscles had turned fickle years before. He hadn't let that stop him, of course, just like Riddick refused to stay put now.

Vaako wonders which one of his poor grandchildren is going to be assigned the ungrateful task of bringing their grandfather home from the forests surrounding the compound. At least the exercise will teach whomever is chosen the lesson of minding their elders. Times like these, Vaako misses the days the pups were still small enough that they would actually sit and _listen._ Parenting had not come naturally to him, but Vaako had always liked educating, and he had loved the rapt expressions on their faces as they listened to the stories from long before they'd settled.

The terminal before him glows signaling that it's going to shut off if he doesn't do anything, and for once Vaako decides to let it. Outside the sun is shining and his bones could use the warmth. Besides the sight of his mate getting herded back by a bunch of children is bound to be entertaining as usual. He shuffles out into the light slowly making his way to his favorite bench trying not to trip over the dogs who've practically taken over the courtyard. "One of these days either you, or him is going to trip over one of those spawns of Satan and break your necks!" Carolyn growls from right behind him. She may not be theirs by blood, but no one could mistake the fierce woman for anything else but a Riddick.

"I remember a time when you refused to fall asleep unless at least three of those spawns of Satan were in your bed." In the early days having the Hellhounds around had made everyone's lives easier. The original ones had been hunters and protectors to their two legged pack members. Some of them still fulfilled that function, some of the new pups would do so as well once they were grown the rest...well, they couldn't very well show family the door.

"Not you too!" His daughter laments, and Vaako concedes that if it wasn't for years and sentiment he might have agreed with her that at least _some_ of the hoard taking over the courtyard should go. Now, all he wants is to have as much of his family around him as possible. Not an easy task considering how many of the young they'd raised turned space happy once they were given the chance. He misses them more often than he'll ever be willing to admit, both the living and the dead.

Breathing life into a dead world, even now he isn't sure what possessed him to go along with the insane venture Riddick had proposed all those decades ago. Finding other survivors had taken a lot of time and effort. Convincing them to try and reestablish themselves...even with an Alpha on hand to lead them, it hadn't been easy. Vaako looks up at the sky where a permanent reminder of what everyone lost hangs on the horizon like a pale ghost visible even in daylight. The old Furya is dead, long live New Furya a moon curiously left alone during the Armada's passing so long ago.

How well he still remembers the fighting in the beginning: they'd fought the wildness, the native predators, the other settlers and each other until a status quo had finally been achieved. Finding the first of the children had helped settle a lot of disputes, funny how they'd ended up with an infant themselves, a female infant at that. The Furyan race had been hunted within an inch of extinction, but Zhylow hadn't managed to get them all. It was amazing how many orphans they had managed to track down after they'd actually gone looking. Most they had found quietly trying to make a living among strangers, some they had bought and broken out of slams, all had been given the chance to go back and rebuild the home of their ancestors...or a close second anyway.  

"Moooom! We found him!" A shrill cry sounds from the main gates breaking at the end of the sentence into a squeak. Puberty...is not being kind to Richard no matter how much he tries to shrug it off. His little sister, or possibly brother (he can't tell between the shaved head and practical clothing) is assisting: clutching their grandfather's hand tight as if fearful that Riddick might make a break for it otherwise. Vaako fails to suppress the smirk that twist his face at the sight of a pack Alpha getting herded by pups.

Once they come closer, he starts to hear his mate's familiar rumble muttering about the indignity of not even being allowed to go on a damn walk. "At least the slams just put a bounty on my head instead sending mercs after me right away." Riddick grumbles resentfully landing next to Vaako on the sun-warmed bench.

"Grandpa!" The indignant kids scream at once, setting off the pups who've come to say 'hello' to their master. No one in the family likes to be accused of being a 'mercenary'.

"Serves ya right! Sell-outs." He snaps his teeth at them while Vaako sighs fighting the urge to get the roll of parchment he uses on recalcitrant pups to smack his mate on the nose. Instead he chooses a diversion that won't bring half the compound down around their ears.

"You know your grandfather doesn't mean it. He's just angry at himself for being sloppy." That lands him an elbow in the ribs, and also two grateful grandchildren who decide that they have better things to do now that all the old folk is accounted for.

"I can't believe you! Calling them sell-outs!" Carolyn comes to loom over them her arms folded across her chest. "I'm already running late for the council meeting and you decide to pull a stunt like this? Really dad!"

"I just went for a walk!"

"Armed? Don't think I hadn't noticed!" Annoyingly, Vaako hadn't: too distracted by grandchildren and his mate's sulking to properly look at the gear...old age and it's many flaws.

"Nothing wrong with going armed!" No matter what his daughter claims, she always has time to argue with her parents. Leaning back against the wall, Vaako settles in to enjoy the sun and verbal sparring. He isn't surprised by Riddick's hand finding his and giving a light squeeze as he tells their daughter to shove it.

Around them, the new world turns.       


End file.
